Tottenham Hotspur have returned to training at Hotspur Way as Roberto De Zerbi begins preparations for the upcoming trip to Manchester United on October 10.
The Italian manager had reportedly given his players who were not involved with their national teams around a week off, but the squad is now back at the training ground and focused on turning around what has been a disappointing start to the season.
One of the biggest positives from Tottenham’s latest training session is the continued involvement of Dejan Kulusevski with the first-team group. The Swedish international has not featured since suffering a serious patella injury to his right knee against Crystal Palace in May 2025.
After an incredibly difficult 16-month spell on the sidelines, Kulusevski now appears to be edging closer to a long-awaited return to competitive action, providing a significant boost for De Zerbi and Spurs.
The Tottenham boss was also pictured working with several players looking to establish themselves in his plans, including Tosin Adarabioyo, Mohammed Kudus, Marcos Senesi, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, Conor Gallagher, Savio and James Maddison.
With several of those players yet to become regular starters under De Zerbi, the current training period represents an important opportunity for them to impress the new manager and his coaching staff.
Kudus, in particular, was given permission to remain with Tottenham rather than join up with Ghana during the international break. Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz explained that both the player and the national team felt additional training at club level would be beneficial to his recovery and development.
Queiroz explained that after reviewing Kudus’ condition and speaking with the player, the decision was made to prioritise his progress rather than risk another setback.
The Ghana coach stressed that Kudus had already suffered a setback previously and that neither the player nor the national team wanted to take unnecessary risks with his recovery. The hope is that additional training and competitive minutes will put him in a stronger position for the next international window.
Elsewhere, Tosin recently made his first start for Tottenham in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool, while Marcos Senesi endured a difficult outing at Anfield. The defender was also overlooked for Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina squad despite receiving a late call-up for the summer’s World Cup.
Udogie was another notable omission after failing to make Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad, while Savio was not selected by Brazil.
Solanke, Gallagher and Maddison have also found themselves outside the current England picture, meaning Tottenham’s international break has given De Zerbi valuable time to work closely with several players who will be desperate to force their way into his starting XI.
With Manchester United next on the schedule, the returning players now have a major opportunity to impress and potentially change their fortunes under De Zerbi.
